Capturing the Art of Nature
Jones/Waleach Lake
Jones Lake was one of the earliest areas I explored once I started to seriously explore the region. I felt it was time to return and see the what was along the east side of the lake.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2008
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It was late in the season and I wasn't sure what conditions we would encounter up at the lake's elevation, so we were anticipating an adventure. We left the highway under overcast skies , it was also still dry. The early part of the access road was clear of snow but as we neared lake level we came upon the first snow. We had only a bit of slipping in the snow on the final steeper section but otherwise it was no problem. The snow was only 4 inches deep, but it got windy soon after we arrived and as the temperature was dropping it made it very cold. Being out taking photos was getting a bit uncomfortable, but I had wanted to be here for some time so a bit of discomfort would not stop me - though it did speed me up. The truck sure was very welcoming after 10 minutes in the blowing cold!
On my previous trip we explored the western campsite and walked along the dam that formed the lake. I also did some driving along a side spur but never made it to the east side development. So today's trip would start on the east side and explore that area first. The east beach was quite nice and fairly broad compared to the western. As the lake level was a bit down, the beach was broad and covered in several inches of snow. The view of the Cheam Range to the south was lovely even when partially obscured by cloud and blowing snow. As we were walking along the beach, the wind started up and cooled us off quite quickly. While there, another determined 4x4er drove by checking out the views. A bit later we had a chance to chat with them and learned that they were hams and got their license for back country safety much like the way I had started. I found an interesting stump on the beach which with its outline of snow and the cloud shrouded mountain behind it, made for a lovely image.
After enjoying the cold northwest beach we followed the road further south. We passed by a number of fairly extensive cabins just back from the beach, some where even occupied. So this area looks to be quite well used even this late in the season. We continued past the small community and came to an iced over puddle. It looked too tempting to leave, so Ethan had some fun driving through it. It gave me a chance to fire off the multi-shot feature of the camera. We worked our way up to the south end of the road where a washout stopped us. We were able to walk out to the lake at this point and get a few different views. There were a number of side roads that looked like good quad roads for me to try another day once the snow was gone. On our return we gave a second mud puddle a good workout.
We then drove to the west side camping area and drove to the end of the public accessible road where we found a lonely snow covered picnic table. We got a few photos of it and the approaching snow storm. After a few donuts in the snow we drove to the dam area where we took a moment to eat a few bites and watch the sun peak through the clouds just before the snow hit us. It was too cold to venture out on the dam but I will be interested in another return trip to capture some more images of the Cheam Range. By now it was snowing on us and the chance for scenery shots seemed remote so we decided to head back down to the highway.
While driving back I saw an exit that had always interested me - Herrling Island - and today seemed like a good time to check it out. So we took the exit and drove along a road that was actually between the two double lanes of the freeway. It offered a lovely view of the Fraser Valley looking west. The road made its way down and under the highway but stopped at a closed road. It would seem that vehicle access to the island was no longer invited and foot traffic was all that was allowed. Well it was still a bit cool for a hike so we turned back to the highway. The tunnel under the highway offered us its own form of scenery - some rather graphic graffiti. Soon we back on the highway and on our way home. It was a good trip but rather cold. It reminded me of just how interesting these hills and valleys are in the region no matter what season of the year.